The 2018 Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz leads with black cherry, roasted meat crust and pink peppercorns in the mouth. This absolutely aligns with the beautiful 2014 tasted earlier today, both in flavor and texture. If the two wines occupy the same trajectory, you're in for a treat. The cherries persist through the finish. Sensational. Yes.

The 2017 Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz is savory and earthy and layered with spices. It has the lovely finesse of tannin that so many of the other vintages possess, but it falls into a savory category. On the palate, there's freshly tanned leather, clove bud, peppercorn and, interestingly, something exotic, like saffron, with some eucalypt through the finish. I like the light, fruity finish, which has an upward inflection, indicating a long time to go from today.

The 2016 Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz is salty and savory and layered with poached plum, dark chocolate, date/fig and even a hint of quince. This is densely flavored, like the 2008, and in that it lacks a little of the nuance that some of the other vintages possess. It's a lovely wine but not the best here today.

The 2015 Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz is incredibly elegant and lithe, and it comes off the back of the sensational (in every way) 2014 vintage. This has a plume of very finely milled tannins, eucalyptus, sage, red earth and freshly tanned leather. It is savory and restrained and so good. Quiet. Lingering.

This 2014 Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz represents the turning point, for my palate. The 2013 hinted at a new level of freshness in the wine, but the 2014 takes it to a whole new level. It's incredibly fresh, elegant and succulent (the first time I have used that descriptor so far); however, balance is the most notable quality. Sensational wine. A 30-year drinking window seems a cinch for this vintage. In fact, it seems conservative. You get nutmeg, pink peppercorns, fresh tobacco leaf, salted licorice, damson plum, raspberry, cocoa, black tea . . . the list goes on.